Lunch-box.



w. JENKINS.

LUNCH BOX.

APPLICATION FILED APR-29,1315- I 1,185,908. Patented June 6,1916.

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5:} I 6 INVEN TOR UNITED STATES BATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM JENKINS, 0F MEAFORD, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM HENRY OGILVIE CROSBY, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

LUNCH-Box.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 29, 1915. Serial No. 24,725.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IVILLIAM JENKINS, of the town of Meaford, in the county of Grey, in the Province of Ontario, Canada,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lunch-Boxes, of which the following is the specification.

My invention relates to improvements in lunch boxes and the object ofthe invention is to devise a collapsible box of this class which will take up a minimum amount of space when collapsed so as to slip into the pocket of the user and such as may be readily cleansed at any desired time. The device consists essentially of a box body comprising a bottom wall, side and end walls hinged to the side and end edges of the bottom wall, engaging means between the side and end walls when the walls are swung up into a vertical position, a cover having a depending flange provided with an internal surrounding bead, perforations in the end walls of the box body and in the end portion of the depending flange of the cover and a spring bail having inturned ends designed to extend through the alined perforations of the end portion of the cover flange and the end walls of the box as hereinafter more particularly explained by the following specification.

Figure 1, is a perspective view of my box. Fig. 2, is a perspective view of the box body with the cover removed. Fig. 3,is a perspective view of the boxbody laid out flat. Fig. 4, is a perspective View of the box collapsed. Fig. 5, is a longitudinal section through Fig. 4:. Fig. 6, is'a cross sectional view through the box as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 7, is a fragmentary detail of one corner of a side wall of the box body.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

1 indicates the box body. The box body 1 comprises a bottom wall 2, side walls 3 and 4 and end walls 5 and 6. The side walls 3 and 4 are hinged at 3 and 4: to the side edges of the bottom wall 2 and the end walls 5 and 6 are hinged at 5 and 6? to the end edges of the bottom wall 2. The side walls 3 and 4 are provided with inturned end edges 7 and 8 and an out-turned upper edge 10.

It will be noticed on referring particularly to Fig. 6 that the outwardly turned portion 10 is slightly spaced apart from the exterior face of the side wall for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

The end walls 5 and 6 are provided with inturned flanges 12 and 13 extending from each side edge of the end wall. 14: indicates the cover for the box which 1s provided with a depending flange 14* which is provided with an internal bead 15 extending around the same.

18 and 19 indicate perforations formed in the end wall 6 of the box body and 20 and 21 indicate perforations formed in the end wall 5 of the box body.

22 indicates a spring bail provided with inturned ends 23 and 2 1. p

25 indicate perforations formed in the depending flange 14* of the cover 14, such perforations being located at each end of the cover. The cover l lis preferably di vided into two portions 27 and 28 hinged together at 29.

Having described the principal parts involved in my invention I will briefly describe the operation of folding and collapsing the box. 7

In order to set the box up the side walls 3 and 4 are first raised into a vertical position. The end walls are then raised and the upper portion of each flange 12 and 13 is inserted between the out-turned portion and the outer face of the side walls 3 and 4. By this means the side walls are held in a vertical position. The cover 14: is then placed over the body of the box in the position shown in Fig. 1 and the inturned ends 23 and 24: of the bail inserted through the perforations 25, 18 and 20. By this means the cover is locked in place and the side and end walls forming the body of the box secured firmly in position.

In the drawings I have shown the cover 14 divided into two portions 27 and 28. If it is desired to open only one'side of the box one inturned end of the bail 22 is withdrawn from the perforations 25 and 18 or 25 and 20 and inserted in the perforation 19 or 21. By this means the corresponding end 27 or 28 of the cover is freed and can be swung up on the hinge 29. By inserting the bail in the perforation 19 or 21 the "walls of the box are held in place independently of the cover.

In order to collapse the box all that it is necessary to do is to withdraw the inturned ends 23 and 24 from the perforations 25 and 18 and 20, raise the cover off the box, throw the end walls 5 and 6 into a horizontal position So as to free the side walls, then fold the side walls 3 and 4t inwardly one over the other and then the end walls inwardly over the side walls into the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. hen this operation has been accomplished the folded box body is reversed and set inside the cover 14: as shown in Fig. l. W'hen inside the cover 14 there is a space left between the edges of the bottom wall 2 of the box body and the internal bead 15. Into this space is sprung the bail 22. In order to place the bail in the position shown it is first inserted into the cover in a diagonal position and then drawn into a position extending directly longitudinally of the box cover and into position beneath the bead.

From this description it will be seen that I have devised a very simple form of collapsible box particularly adapted for a lunch box which may be easily and quickly collapsed or folded up to form the box, which will form a box which will be absolutely rigid when set up and which will be compact and of such a form when collapsed as to make it adaptable for slipping into the pocket of the user and at the same time have provided a box which will be absolutely sanitary for the reason that it can at any time be readily opened up into such a position that all the parts may be thoroughly washed and cleansed.

What I claim as my invention is.

1. A collapsible box comprising a bottom wall, side walls hingedly connected to the side edges of the bottom wall and provided with outwardly turned-over flanges at their upper edges, end walls hingedly connected to the end edges of the bottom wall and provided with inturned side flanges ex tending outside of the side walls when the walls are raised to a vertical position the upper end of said inturned flanges adapted to be engaged between the outer face of the side walls and the overturned flange portion, whereby the inturned and outturned flanges cooperate to maintain the box walls in operative position.

2. In a collapsible box, a box body comprising a bottom wall, end walls provided with perforations located in vertical alinement and hingedly connected to the end edges of the bottom wall, side walls hingedly connected to the side edges of the bottom wall, means for detachably connecting the side and end walls together when raised to a vertical position, a cover for the box divided intermediately of its length, a hinge connection between the divided portions of the cover, a flange depending downwardly from the edge of the cover having a perforation in the end portion thereof located in alinement with the upper perforation of the end wall of the box, and a spring bail having inturned ends designed to be sprung either into the alined perforations of the end wall and the cover flange or into the vertically alined perforation located in the end wall of the box body below the cover flange.

WILLIAM JENKINS. lVitnesses M. EGAN, E. PENNOLK.

Quotes of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner ef Patents, Washington, I). C." 

